UQ Science

17/06/2026

Bhutanese archers have known for generations that arrows fly differently as the day warms up. They just couldn't explain why — until now. 🎯

New research from The University of Queensland and the Royal Thimphu College in collaboration with Archery Australia found daily changes in air density, driven by rising temperatures, can shift arrow landing points by up to 40 centimetres in Bhutanese archery, the Himalayan kingdom's national sport.

UQ lead researcher, Dr Boyd Wright from the School of the Environment said the study was the first to empirically examine air density's effect on arrow trajectory in any form of archery.

Bhutanese archery is a long-range form of archery in which arrows are shot over distances of approximately 145m.

For archers who had spent careers adjusting by instinct and feel, the research offers a breakthrough framework for integrating air-density effects into stronger archery performance. 🏹

10/06/2026

🎖️Congratulations to Mansfield State High School graduate and 2024 UQ Science Ambassador, Doris Wei who has been named in the top 73 people controlling the future of Queensland Education.

After scoring a perfect 99.95 ATAR and awarded the Outstanding Academic Achiever award for the Class of 2025, Doris will be tackling a dual degree in Mathematics and Computer Science at The University of Queensland.

We can't wait to see what you achieve at UQ! 💫

UQ Engineering and Technology

05/06/2026

📣CRIKEY! Join Terri Irwin AM, Bindi Irwin and Professor Craig Franklin as they deliver the 2026 Steve Irwin Memorial Lecture -

'From Steve's Vision to Scientific Discovery: 20 years of Crocodile Research'🐊

Get your tickets here: https://alumni.uq.edu.au/event/session/26839

05/06/2026

🪸🌊This May, against the backdrop of Taiwan's stunning Henchun Peninsula, marine educators, researchers, dive instructors, and conservation practitioners gathered for the 2026 Asia CoralWatch Ambassador Workshop.

CoralWatch Program Leader, Diana Kleine and Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Wen-Sung Chung both from UQ's School of the Environment were invited to participate as distinguished international experts.

The four-day ambassador workshop was hosted in collaboration with the Marine Affairs Research Center of 國立高雄科技大學 National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology with support from 海洋委員會.

The workshop also collaborated with CMAS-World Underwater Federation on scientific snorkelling field practices.

Kleine and Dr Chung delivered lectures in coral reef ecology, climate change impacts on marine ecosystems, standardized coral health monitoring methodologies, scientific data interpretation, and citizen science applications.

Participants also got hands-on experience in reef assessment and underwater monitoring techniques using internationally standardised CoralWatch methods.

🔗Full story in comments.

📸Photos supplied by Diana Kleine

03/06/2026

Many important fossil discoveries have been made by citizen scientists – curious individuals who noticed something unusual and took the time to contact an expert. 🐾🦖🔍

To empower us all to be on the lookout, Dr Romilio explains exactly what to do when we come across a rock we think might have a story to tell.

https://stories.uq.edu.au/contact-magazine/finding-fossils/index.html

29/05/2026

Congratulations to Bostjan Kobe from UQ Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences on being elected a Fellow of The Royal Society, one of the highest honours in science. 🎖️

The Royal Society is the world’s oldest scientific academy, with fellows including Charles Darwin.

Professor Kobe, a leading figure in the structural biology of infection and immunity, is one of only three Australian researchers elected in 2026, joining an exceptional group of international scientists.

27/05/2026

The sight of a saltwater crocodile basking on a mudbank is one of the most iconic and intimidating images of northern Australia.🐊

Yet the crocodiles that inhabit the region today are just the survivors of a much richer and stranger lost world.

A recent review of evidence from the past 129,000 years reveals a dramatic story of extinctions, human encounters, and survival against the odds.

UQ's Jorgo Ristevski and Nicole Lise Boivin write for The Conversation Australia + NZ.

A host of unique crocodylian species ruled the roost in Australia and surrounds for millions of years – until humans came along.

21/05/2026

Congrats to Nicholas Blersch from UQ Gatton who was named as a 2026 AgriFutures Australia Futures Horizon Scholar, supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation. 🎖️🌾

Nicholas is currently studying Agribusiness at UQ, where he is exploring global trade challenges and the role of biomass in energy and fuel systems.

20/05/2026

Happy World Bee Day 🐝🌼🍯

Did you know there are 20,000 bee species around the world? One group that hold a special place in the hearts of humans like UQ's Dr Tobias Smith is the stingless bee (Meliponini).

There are an estimated 600 stingless bee species found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and here in Australia we have 11 species.

To celebrate our busy bees, we are throwing back to Dr Tobias Smith when he presented on 'The science of stingless bees' at BrisScience.

📸 Image credit: Stingless bee on a sunflower, Honeywood Hives
📸Image credit: Tobias Smith

19/05/2026

Congratulations to UQ PhD student Emily Flanagan who was selected for a national sea-training voyage 🌊🚢

Emily was one of 20 students from across Australia chosen to sail aboard the CSIRO research vessel Investigator as part of the Collaborative Australian Postgraduate Sea-Training Alliance Network (CAPSTAN).

For two weeks, Emily swapped the classroom for life at sea and experienced hands-on research conducting sampling activities, deploying equipment, and working with real data alongside leading Australian marine scientists.

The national tertiary sea-training initiative brings together CSIRO, the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies - IMAS, and the Australian-New Zealand International Scientific Drilling Consortium.

Sea the full story: https://stories.uq.edu.au/phd-student-among-next-gen-of-marine-experts/index.html